CRITFC Mission & Vision

CRITFC’s mission is “to ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes.”

This mission is accomplished with four primary goals:

1. Put Fish Back in the Rivers and Protect Watersheds Where Fish Live

CRITFC provides our four member tribes and the region with invaluable biological research, fisheries management, hydrology, and other science to support the protection and restoration of Columbia River Basin salmon, lamprey, and sturgeon. The vision of this goal is to reverse the decline of salmon, lamprey, and sturgeon and rebuild their numbers to full productivity. This work is guided by the holistic principles outlined in Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit (Spirit of the Salmon), the tribal salmon plan that addresses recommended restoration actions in every phase of the salmon’s lifecycle from stream to ocean and back.

2. Protect Tribal Treaty Fishing Rights

CRITFC employs lawyers, policy analysts, and fisheries enforcement officers who work to ensure that tribal treaty rights are protected. All of these activities are done in careful coordination with and under the direction of member tribes. The commission works closely with state and federal agencies to ensure fair harvest sharing between tribal and non-tribal fisheries.

3. Share Salmon Culture

CRITFC shares news, information, and the tribal perspective on a variety of issues. Common topics include salmon and lamprey restoration, the nature of treaty fishing rights, and tribal culture. This effort ranges from school children to policy makers. By educating the general public on these topics, the tribes hope to increase interest for productive partnerships and support in the effort to restore Columbia River Basin salmon and lamprey.

4. Provide Fisher Services

CRITFC provides a variety of services directly to fishers from its member tribes. The Salmon Marketing program provides fishers from the four member tribes with resources to help them carry on the tradition of making a living from fishing, whether that be from commercial, over-the-bank, or value-added fish sales. The organization also operates and maintains 31 fishing access sites along the Columbia River for the exclusive or near-exclusive use of the fishers from all the member tribes.

Warm Springs Tribe Fisheries technicians collect juvenile Deschutes River fall chinook salmon into which they will insert coded-wire tags. This enables the fish to be tracked as they migrate as both juveniles and adults, which in turn provides valuable information for appropriate fishery management decisions. CRITFC administers a variety of programs that fund projects like this that are conducted by the four member tribes throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Policy & Education

Connect

CRITFC
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish CommissionOur mission is to ensure a unified tribal voice in the management of Columbia River basin fishery resources and to protect the reserved treaty fishing rights of our member tribes.